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Well, after 15 weeks of training, I finished my last long run on Saturday. Best of all, I bumped in to Frances who’s just starting training for the Race For Life she’s doing in June, and got an extra two miles with her. A great way to top off my training, and pleased to report Frances did very well too for her first run in almost a year.

The training has gone very well. My previous post summarised a few niggles I’d had, but all the issues have been put to bed. I’m only left with a bit of a sock and blister problem – something I’ve not experienced before – and one that I’ve not had a chance to properly sort out. So I’m going to have to take a tiny bit of a gamble with a pair of socks I think have been ok, and hope things work out ok.

My longest run was 23 miles, which I was very pleased with, particularly when compared to how I felt after a 20 mile run a couple of weeks before. The difference between the two was nutrition, and I’ve got that licked. I’ve also discovered that whilst I don’t have an adverse reaction to Gels, they’re not exactly nice, particularly if you get it on your fingers, and the sweetness is just icky. I really begin to crave solid food! So I’ll definitely be putting some food in my gear bag, something I can get my teeth into when I finish!

I’ve thankfully been injury free, which has meant I’ve followed my coaches training programme quite closely. The best thing about it having done that is I’m as certain as I can be that I’ll get around the course, and I’m told the atmosphere in London is something special, so should hopefully help pull me along when the going gets tough, after, I suspect, the 20 mile mark. It’s carb loading over the next week to ensure I’m as properly prepared as I can be.

The taper is certainly proving to be quite difficult. I had to stop myself running to pick up our car from the garage yesterday (a 30 minute jog away), conscious I need to be taking it easy and reducing my mileage and effort. It’s also confirmation to me that running is very much part of me these days. Certainly if I’m trying to find excuses to run places, and convincing myself not to!

I’ve also had so many great words of advice from fellow club runners, and park runners. Whilst I know it’s my own race, and I need to run it to my plan, I’ve absorbed as much from people as I can. It’s the only way a new-marathoner can really get an idea about what’s involved. I’m determined to enjoy it – I’ve heard a good few horror stories of setting off too fast, changing plan too early, or struggling through injuries. Finishing, I hope, with a smile on my face is my primary goal. Faster times can wait. I settled on a sub-4 hour time as my primary goal, with 3:45 as my ideal. Anything better than that would be delightful, but I’m not going to push myself too hard, at a distance that is such a serious test over the complete distance. I’ve never run more than 23 miles, and those last 3.2 miles will surly be the hardest.

This last week is busy on the work front, but I will find myself in London at the end of the week, and should be able to get registered with plenty of time to spare. An early start on Saturday to get out to see the Bushy parkrun so I can check out what a properly busy ‘funnel’ looks like, to take some tips away to Glasgow parkrun, where we’re experiencing phenomenal growth and, given we’re so far away from other parkruns, having to learn a lot through experience. Sunday morning I’m close enough to the railway station that will take me out to Blackheath it shouldn’t be too bad. My goal then is to get up, scoff my porridge, stuff a few things in my bag, and just get out there. I’d really rather be there very early, than stressing about not getting there at all. I’m a rotten traveller when there’s time pressure.

If you’re going to come along on Sunday to watch (and I’d highly recommend it even if I wasn’t running, it’s a great atmosphere), be sure to allow plenty of time to get around. It’s a bit busy, and crossing the course is very difficult. Drop me an e-mail, or a comment, if you’re planning on looking out for me. It’s hard for runners and spectators to see each other, given it’s so busy (and the runners can be a bit preoccupied!). I’ll post some rough times for key points if my race goes according to plan, but could be some way either side of that.

All that really remains is for everybody to keep their fingers crossed for cool and overcast weather. Sunny is not good. Rain is not good. But cheer everybody taking part, even if you don’t see me. The amount of training most people will (should!) have put in is, I can say from experience now, huge. The marathon is just the icing on the cake, and I can certainly say it makes a huge difference on short distances, it’ll be something else on a marathon course!

I’ve just booked my post-London Marathon hotel. A bit of luxury to, I hope, reward 4 months of hard graft. And also not very far away from the finish line, just on the other side of Green Park. Should be eminently walkable, even after 26.2 miles and sore legs. Heck, Frances may even be able to carry me there

I’d also rather fancied getting the train back on Monday. I’m not a fan of flying unless it’s necessary or the only option available. Previously I’ve managed to find very good deals from Glasgow to London, even at peak times, with a bit of advanced planning (a rare commodity in my case). It’s quite possible to get first class travel if you travel outside of the rush hour, and the price difference is often as little as £15 – Given you get free meals on the way, it’s not much different from standard class plus a couple of sandwiches and coffee from the buffet car. Plus you don’t get half as many distractions, so it’s ideal if you plan to work.

Unfortunately, I was in for a bit of a shock last night. Because I’ll be in London already (I’m going to be quite some way south on business, and arrangements are being made by my client), I’m just looking at a single ticket rather than a return. It seems that train prices, with Virgin Rail at least, are geared on return travel. Consequently where it was once not much difference in price to travel by train, it’s looking very hard to justify not flying back (Assuming I can make it up the boarding stairs; I’ve heard horror stories of marathoners struggling to get on flights! And I do like a good horror story to keep me honest)

I’m not sure whether this is a function of dropping demand for air travel keeping easyjet and co’s prices low (it is also unusually foresighted of me to be planning a flight 10 days in advance), or whether the train companies simply don’t have a system to adjust ticket price based on availability: Surely one of the best legacies of budget air travel?

Regardless, I’m now pondering flying back, and then putting the money I’d save on the train trip I’d planned, to good use with a nice meal out with Frances later in the week. Heck, with the money I’d save I could probably buy a chunk of rain forest.

If the Government really wants to do something about getting more people to travel by train, it would do very well to insist they adopt the pricing strategy of budget airlines because as things stands, train travel is starting to look prohibitively expensive, even if you’re prepared to spend a bit extra.